In an age when you may get absolutely anything on-line, it is most likely no shock you can buy a diamond-making machine for $200,000 on Chinese language ecommerce web site Alibaba. For those who, like me, have not been taking note of the diamond business, it seems that the provision of those machines displays an ongoing development towards democratizing diamond manufacturing—a course of that started a long time in the past and continues to evolve.
The historical past of lab-grown diamonds dates again at the very least half a century. In keeping with Harvard graduate scholar Javid Lakha, writing in a comprehensive piece on lab-grown diamonds revealed in Works in Progress final month, the primary profitable synthesis of diamonds in a laboratory setting occurred within the Nineteen Fifties. Lakha recounts how Howard Tracy Hall, a chemist at Basic Electrical, created the primary lab-grown diamonds utilizing a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) course of that mimicked the situations underneath which diamonds kind in nature.
Since then, diamond-making expertise has superior considerably. Right this moment, there are two main strategies for creating lab-grown diamonds: the HPHT course of and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Each varieties of machines at the moment are listed on Alibaba, with costs beginning at round $200,000, as pointed out by engineer John Nagle (who goes by “Animats” on Hacker Information). A CVD machine we discovered is extra dear, at around $450,000.
Not a Easy Operation
Whereas the thought of buying a diamond-making machine on Alibaba is likely to be intriguing, it is essential to notice that working one is not so simple as plugging it in and watching diamonds kind. In keeping with Lakha’s article, these machines require important experience and extra assets to function successfully.
For an HPHT press, you’d want a dependable supply of high-quality graphite, metallic catalysts like iron or cobalt, and exact temperature and strain management programs. CVD machines require a gentle provide of methane and hydrogen gases, in addition to the power to generate and management microwaves or scorching filaments. Each strategies want diamond seed crystals to start out the expansion course of.
Furthermore, you’d want specialised information to handle the expansion parameters, deal with doubtlessly hazardous supplies and high-pressure tools safely, and course of the ensuing uncooked diamonds into usable gems or industrial parts. The machines additionally use appreciable quantities of power and require common upkeep. These components might make the method topic to some rules which can be far past the scope of this piece.
In brief, whereas these machines are extra accessible than ever, turning one right into a productive diamond-making operation would nonetheless require important funding in tools, supplies, experience, and security measures. However hey, a man can dream, proper?
The Nice Diamond Glut
Generally a Hacker Information remark is value greater than its weight in gold (or diamonds), and John Nagle, who developed Nagle’s algorithm for bettering the effectivity of TCP/IP networks within the Nineteen Eighties, posted one in response to Lakha’s article. It comprises factoids about diamonds, with sources, which can be value relaying for anybody curious in regards to the present state of diamond manufacturing.
One notable improvement comes from De Beers, the diamond company recognized for its dominance within the pure diamond market. By way of its R&D operation Element Six, the corporate is now capable of producing artificial diamonds with flaw ranges within the parts-per-billion vary. This stage of purity far exceeds what’s obligatory for jewellery, coming into the realm of high-tech functions. Ingredient Six has even managed to create diamond home windows for lasers as much as 10 centimeters throughout, showcasing the potential for big, extraordinarily pure artificial diamonds.
On the pure diamond entrance, there’s been a stunning breakthrough. Nagle factors out that the business has developed an industrial x-ray system to look at rocks earlier than crushing, serving to to protect massive diamonds that may in any other case be damaged throughout extraction. This expertise has led to some spectacular finds, together with a 2,492-carat diamond discovered final month. The sorter for this job comes from TOMRA, an organization recognized for high-volume sorting programs utilized in recycling and meals processing.